Process for producing beryllium alloys



Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES 2,025,614 PROCESS FOR PRODIlCINGBERYLLIUM ALLOYS Wilhelm Rohn, Hanan, Germany, assignor toHeraeus-Vacuumschmelze, A. G., Hanan-onthe-Main, Germany No Drawing.

13 Claims.

It is a well-known fact that beryllium alloys especially alloys ofberyllium with heavy metals have excellent physical properties. Up tonow the price of metallic beryllium has been so high that berylliumalloys could only ,be used for special purposes which allowed for a highprice of the alloys. The object of the present invention is to provide amethod of preparing beryllium alloys at a much lower price than hithertopossible.

According to the invention a bath of molten metal is used, containingfor instance metals of the iron group of the periodic system of elements(iron, nickel, cobalt, manganese) or metals of the chromium group(chromium, molybdenum,- tungsten, uranium). Carbon is dissolved" in thismetal bath or brought in by means of a carbon carrying gas as,for'instance hydrocarbons or by adding metal carbides and the carboncontaining metal bath is brought to reaction with beryllium oxide. Thereaction between the beryllium oxide and the carbon. dissolved in themetal bath is carried out under a reduced partial pressure of oxygen.This reduction of the partial pressure of oxygen can for example beeifectuated by introducing into the reaction chamber an excess ofhydrogen or other inert or reducing gases or by evacuating said reactionchamber or by other suitable means, so as, at least in part, to displacethe atmosphere which would normally obtain by reason of the reduction,and thus minimizeformation of beryllium carbide and reformation ofberyllium oxide. The invention may be illus-- trated by the followingexample:

Nickel is melted in any known-kind of melting furnace. A furnace whichis especially useful to put into practice the method of the invention isa flat coil induction furnace, as described in patent application SerialNumber 557,234, or a furnace as described in U. .8. Patent 1,431,686.Carbon is dissolved in the nickel bath. Beryllium oxide is superposedupon the surface of the nickel bath and then the partial pressure of theoxygen in the furnace is reduced.

After a certain time all the carbon'has been used up in reducing theberyllium oxide and a product is obtained which contains nickel andberyllium and which is practically freefrom carbon. If desired theproportion of carbon and beryllium oxide or the time of reaction may bechosen in such a manner that the final product still contains a certainamount of carbon.

Or the invention may be performed in the following way:

A certain amount of nickel free from carbon Application February 10,1934, Serial No. 710,730

is melted and then a mixture of beryllium oxide and carbon is superposedupon the surface of the molten nickel. After the pressure of the furnaceatmosphere has been reduced, the beryllium oxide and carbon in thepresence of the nickel begin to react with each other and the berylliumproduced by this reaction is immediately dissolved in the nickel. At thesame time a part of the carbon is dissolved by the nickel. In case it isdesired to produce a beryllium nickel alloy free from carbon, the carbondissolved in the melting bath may be removed by means of a furtheraddition of beryllium oxide in the way described above.

'Sometimes it may be useful not to use a slag containing beryllium oxideupon the bath of molten metal but to make the lining of the furnace orthe hearth or the crucible of beryllium oxide and to melt a carboncontaining nickel within this lining or hearth or crucible.

Furthermore the carbon incorporated in the nickel bath during thereaction between carbon and beryllium oxide may be removed by means ofan oxide other than beryllium oxide, for in- .stance, by reaction withmagnesium oxide.

When using magnesium oxide for removing the carbon from the melt themagnesium metal formed volatilizes without essential loss of beryllium.I

4 In the foregoing illustrations nickel is mentioned only by way ofexample. Within the scope of the invention one or more other metals ofthe iron group may be-used instead of nickel,

or the nickel may be partly or totally replaced by one or more metals ofthe chromium group or by alloys containing metals of the iron group andmetals of the chromium group. Finally the metal bath may contain orconsist of other heavy metals, for instance, copper. In brief any metalwhich is able to alloy'with beryllium and which has low vapour pressureat the temperatureof the reaction may be used for the process. Asberyllium in form of beryllium oxide is relatively cheap and astheprocess according to the invention may be exercised at low expense itis possible by the foregoing described process to produce berylliumalloys at much lower expense'than hitherto.

Having broadly and specifically disclosed the present invention it isapparent that many modifications and adaptations may be made thereinwithout departing essentially from the nature and scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes bringing intoreaction with one another carbon and beryllium oxide in contact with ametal bath, and at least in part displacing the atmosphere which wouldnormally obtain by reason of the reduction so as to reduce thepossibility of formation of beryllium carbide and th reformation ofberyllium oxide.

2. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes dissolvingcarbon in a metal bath, bringing the carbon containing metal bath intoreaction with beryllium oxide, and at least in part displacing theatmosphere which would normally obtain by reason of the reduction so asto reduce the possibility of formation of beryllium carbide and thereformation of beryllium oxide.

3. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes bringing intoreaction with one another carbon and beryllium oxide in contact with ametal bath, and at least in part displacing the atmosphere which wouldnormally obtain by reason of the reduction by evacuating the reactionzone so as to reduce the possibility of formation of beryllium carbideand the reformation of beryllium oxide. v

4. A process of producing beryllium alloys which includes dissolvingcarbon in a metal bath, bringing the carbon-containing metal bath toreaction with beryllium oxide, and at least in part displacing theatmosphere which would normally obtain by reason of the reduction byevacuating the reaction zone so as to reduce the possibility offormation of beryllium carbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide.

5. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes bringing intoreaction with one another carbon and beryllium oxide in contact with ametal bath, and at least in part displacing the atmosphere which wouldnormally obtainby' reason of the reduction with hydrogen so as to reducethe possibility of formation of beryllium carbide and the reformation ofberyllium oxide.

6. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes dissolvingcarbon in a metal bath, bringing the carbon-containing metal bath toreaction with beryllium oxide, and at least in part displacing theatmosphere which would normally obtain by reason of the reduction withhydrogen so as to reduce the possibility of formation of berylliumcarbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide.

7. A process for producing beryllium alloyswhich includes superposing amixture of beryllium oxide and carbon upon the surface of a metal bath,and'at least in part displacing the atmosphere which would normallyobtain by reason of the reduction so as to reduce the possibility offormation of beryllium carbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide.

8. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes bringingcarbon and beryllium oxide into reaction with each other, and at leastin part displacing the atmosphere which would normally obtain by reasonof the reduction so as to reduce the possibility of formation ofberyllium carbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide, the reactionbeing effected in contact with a metal bath containing at least onemetal of the iron group.

9. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes bringingcarbonand beryllium 5 oxide into reaction with each other, and at leastin part displacing the atmosphere which would normally obtain by reasonof the reduction so as to reduce the possibility of formation ofberyllium carbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide, thereaction'being effected in contact with a metal bath containing at leastone metal of the chromium group.

10. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes bringingcarbon and beryllium oxide into reaction with each other, and at leastin part displacing the atmosphere which would normally obtain by reasonof the reduction so as to reduce the possibility of formation ofberyllium carbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide, the reactionbeing effected in contact with a metal bath containing copper. I.

11. A process for producing beryllium alloys which includes superposinga mixture of carbon and beryllium oxide upon a' metal bath, bringingsaid carbon and beryllium oxide into reaction with each other, and atleast in part displacing the atmosphere which would normally obtain byreason of the reduction so as to-reduce the possibility of formation ofberyllium carbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide, the proportionof carbon to beryllium oxide being so calculated that part of the carbonremains unoxi-- dized and is dissolved in the metalbath, and thereafterremoving unoxidized carbon in a sec- 5 0nd phase of the process byadding another quantity of beryllium oxide.

12. A process .for producing beryllium alloys which includes bringingcarbon and beryllium oxide into reaction with each other, and at leastin part displacing the atmosphere which would normally obtain by reasonof the reduction so as to reduce the possibility of formation ofberyllium carbide and the reformation of beryllium oxide, the proportionof carbon to beryllium ox- 4n ide being so calculated that part ofthecarbon remains unoxidized and is dissolved in the metal bath, andthereafter removing unoxidized carbon by means of an oxide other thanberyllium oxide. .50 13. A process for producing beryllium alloys whichincludes bringing carbon and beryllium oxide into reaction with eachother, and at least in part displacing the atmosphere which wouldnormally obtain by reason of the reduction so as to reduce thepossibility of formation of beryllium carbide and the reformation ofberyllium oxide, the proportion of carbon to beryllium oxide being socalculated that part of the carbon remains unoxidized and is dissolved.in the metal bath, and thereafter removing unoxidized carbon by meansof magnesium oxide.

WILHELM ROI-IN.

